Frosted Adventures
by Prince Maggie
Summary: A series of one-shots focused around our favorite Guardians (mainly our favorite winter spirit) before, during and after the movie. All based in the canon universe. Stories of friendship, hurt, comfort and fun. Come and have a read! I'm taking requests! Disclaimer:I own nothing.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! OK, so the plan is to make this into one big one-shot series. This is the first one and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! This one is set after the movie.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians or any of its characters**

Summary: When Jack relives his death in his sleep, a certain Sandman is there to offer a friendly dream.

Chapter1: Golden Memories

Each second he was submerged, it got worse. The feeling of the cold and the water overtaking him was overpowering.

Even though Jack Frost couldn't remember actually experiencing his own death and had only seen his own death through his memories, the sensation of it never seemed to have left him.

He felt himself sink towards the ever-darkening bottom of the lake. Deeper and deeper until all traces of the moon's glow had vanished. The reflex panic rose up in his form and he started flailing in a desperate attempt to reach the life-saving but ever-distancing oxygen far above him. Ice water burned his throat as his lungs refused to hold out any longer and he sucked in a fate-sealing breath.

The ice wall above him became the coffin lid as Jack's consciousness slipped away. The water was so large and him so small. He embraced the darkness as it started whisking him away from the watery grave.

0o0o0o0

The Sandman, better known as Sandy by those who knew him, had just floated into North's workshop not 10 minutes ago and had already nipped into the kitchen in search of his favourite beverage, eggnog.

Now, eggnog in hand, he was fully intending on settling down in front of the fire in the corner of the globe room and waiting for the rest of the Guardians to show ready for their meeting. However, as he strolled towards the quiet corner, he froze, one foot in the air, eggnog cup to his lips, to see a young winter spirit spread out on the couch farthest away from the fire, tossing and turning in his restless sleep.

Sandy frowned before changing his course of direction towards the young Guardian. Now standing at the winter spirit's side, he could tell Jack was definitely not having the calming, restful sleep he so needed. His expression was that of someone who was severely aggravated and troubled. Sandy jumped slightly when Jack suddenly gasped, as if in a desperate attempt to receive much needed oxygen.

The Guardian of Dreams decided enough was enough and he was clearly the spirit for the job. With a small smile gracing his face, Sandy sent a stream of dreamsand towards the distressed teen. Jack's features relaxed instantly and his body stilled into that of someone in a relaxed rest.

Sandy nodded to himself then made his way over to the chair closest to the fireplace. Glancing up, he saw a dreamsand version of a young boy swinging upside down from a tree branch whilst reaching down to high five the other dreamsand children who were eagerly smiling and laughing below him.

0o0o0o0

After what seemed like no time at all, the dream vanished and all the children returned to being just part of his memories. Consciousness returned to him and he started to become aware of his cosy and warm surroundings. Jack blinked his eyes open and sat up on his makeshift bed. He raised a hand to his face and rubbed his eyes, still trying to convince them it was time to wake up.

Strangely enough, he could remember quite clearly reliving the memory of his death. However, what he couldn't remember was what caused the dream to change from something so horrible to something pleasant and sweet.

His question was answered as his gaze came across a small, golden man sat quite contently in a chair by the fire, looking at him over the top of the rim of, what Jack presumed was, a glass of eggnog. Upon discovering he'd been noticed, Sandy waved at the winter spirit but with no intention of lowering the glass until it was completely empty.

Jack smiled and nodded to himself slowly in realization then looked his fellow Guardian in the eye. "Thanks, Sandy."

The Guardian of Dream's eyes sparkled and, still downing the eggnog, he just winked in reply.

 **OK, guys that's chapter one done! I'm going to TRY and upload a chapter every week. It could be one/two/ shot but hopefully a couple of arcs as well.**

 **Requests are welcome! It can be about any of the characters (although, Jack will always be my favourite to write about) However, I don't do ships (sorry not sorry XD) I try to keep it as close to canon as possible (but of course it's fanfiction so lots of action is a must!) Send me requests via PM or reviews and I'll try my best to get them written and uploaded!**

 **Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Until next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, hellooooo, guess who's back for chapter 2 whole day early! OK, so this one is a little longer (No idea how many words coz I use a reaaallly old version of word that doesn't have word count). I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it, I think it started off as a good idea then kind of strayed from there XD I'm also going to try and do shout-outs for each chapter so here goes!**

 **sparklehannah: Thanks! Haha, Sandy's definitely a good egg, that's for sure! Yay, everyone loves Jack XD**

 **RainbowDash732: I can sure try! I'll write it down and try to get it uploaded at some point. Thanks for the request!**

Summary: When Jack doesn't show up for the monthly Guardian meeting, the other Guardians decided to go and look for him. Bunny finds him safe and sound creating something that makes him realise just how lonely the winter Guardian was for three hundred years.

Chapter2: Ice Family

"Alright, North, it's been an hour and Frosty's still not here. What do ya want to do?"

Bunny had been becoming increasingly annoyed and impatient during the hour after which the monthly Guardian meeting was meant to begin. The newly acquainted fifth member of the Guardians had never missed a meeting since the Pitch Black fiasco 6 months ago. Until now. Jack Frost was no one in sight.

"Oh dear. What if something's happened to him?! What if he's in trouble and we just don't know about it?! What are we going to do?!" Tooth had started hovering

in the air, twisting her fingers together in nervous tension.

"Calm down, Toothy! Jack is very busy and I am sure he has simply forgotten! We shall find him and so Guardian meeting can begin!" North announced confidently. However, as time ticked away, the Guardian of Wonder had started to become slightly concerned. All had been reasonably quiet in the past few months and Jack had settled into the Guardian's little group well.

 _But, then again_ , thought North, _would this not be perfect time for certain Nightmare king to make a reappearance. Just when things are starting to settle down again…_

"Well, I think we should go and find him. Just in case. And to, you know, remind him not to miss another meeting." Tooth declared.

"Alrigh' then, let's say we go and try to find the little troublemaker. Where are we even gonna look? He could be anywhere around the world!" Bunny's train of thought had, unknowingly to him, taken a similar turn to the other Guardians as his worry for the young winter spirit had started to escalate. However, that wasn't going to stop him from thinking rationally of where Jack could actually be.

Sandy, who had been in quiet thought throughout the other Guardians discussion, suddenly shot his hand up into the air and floated up so he was in even eye line with the little group.

"You know where he is, Sandy?" North questioned.

Sandy shook his head sadly before his golden face brightened into a smile and he pointed both hands up to the image of dream sand above his head. The image that showed a certain winter spirit high up on a branch of a dream sand tree right next to a golden yellow lake.

North chuckled, "Ahh, indeed, it is worth try. Shall we all go or just one of us?"

0o0o0o0

Jack Frost was balanced precariously on his favourite branch overlooking the frozen expanse of his lake. It was the middle of winter and all of Burgess was an icy wasteland, courtesy of the young seasonal spirit who currently looked to be in deep concentration. He was fiddling with a small object in his hands which sparkled slightly in the sun's light.

"Ah, stupid wing." Jack muttered under his breath as he continued to perfect the delicate ice sculpture of his fellow Guardian, Toothiana.

"So, whatcha doin', Frosty?" Jack startled so violently at the familiar Australian accent that the ice figurine flew out of his hands and thudded into the snow below his branch.

"Bunny! Wha-what are you doing here?" Jack tried his very best to act as casual as possible, hoping that the Guardian of Hope hadn't seen the small object drop to the ground. No such luck as Bunny smirked up at the shocked winter spirit and darted across to where he saw the mystery object land. As soon as he saw the Pooka in motion, Jack grabbed his staff (which had been resting across his lap whilst he was working) and dived down in a desperate attempt to get the figurine before Bunny got to it first. Once again, the universe seemed to hate him as Bunny stood up triumphantly with ice Toothiana in his paws.

"Should I be telling Tooth that she has a secret admirer?" Bunny teased with a grin as wide as a Cheshire cat's. However, he was rewarded with Jack flying up to him and snatching the sculpture out of his paw.

"What?! No way! But it's none of your business, anyway so shoo, unless you actually want to tell me why you came here in the first place." Jack held protectively onto the figure and just hoped his cheeks weren't burning in his embarrassment.

Still chuckling at Jack's obvious uncomfortable state, Bunny broke the news, "Well, you missed the monthly Guardian meeting, if that's want you wanna hear."

Jack froze, his eyes widened in realisation. "Oops"

"Yeah, oops. The rest of us agreed we needed to come an' look for ya, make sure you're not in some kind of trouble."

"Great, and you pulled the short straw, did you, Cottontail?" Jack frowned as he flew back up to the branch he was previously occupying and gently placed ice Toothiana down on it.

"Actually, I volunteered." Bunny corrected, folding his arms across his chest, "And since you're not in any kinda trouble, you gonna tell me why you're making a Tooth ice sculpture?"

Jack had landed back on the ground, his bare feet sinking into the powdery snow. "Because why not? Everyone needs a hobby." He would have seemed perfectly happy if they had changed the subject right there and then but Bunny, being the insistent sort, wouldn't let the matter drop so easily.

"Soooo, you wouldn't mind if I just, ya know, have a look?" And before Jack could so much as flinch, Bunny sprinted to the tree so the branch was above his head and sprang upwards to grab the figurine from off of it.

"Hey! Damn rabbit!" Jack yelled to the giant Pooka.

"Tooth would be impressed! You should show her, she'd love it" Bunny pointed out, admiring Jack's handy work.

"Nah ah, not going to happen, now give it back." Jack made to swipe it out of Bunny's paws again but this time the rabbit was too quick so the winter spirit just grasped empty air.

Bunny continued to inspect the ice sculpture like Jack hadn't even tried to snatch it back. "Seriously, kid, it's pretty good, how long does it take ya to make them?"

"Depends on how much detail needs putting in, some take longer than others. Can I have it back now?"

Bunny smirked and finally looked at his fellow Guardian in front of him. "Ah, so you've made others?"

Jack realized what he just said and he finally stopped trying to grab back the figurine, "Um, did I say there's others? I meant, it took me a couple of hours…"

"You can't trick me, Frostbite" The Pooka said smugly, finally handing the ice figure back to the teen, where he promptly snatched it out of Bunny paws and started inspecting it for damage.

"I can try." Jack said stubbornly.

Bunny crossed his arms and chuckled, "Sooo, are ya going to show me the others?"

Jack sighed, let his hands fall to his sides and looked up at the Guardian of Hope. "You're not going to leave me alone until I do, are you?"

"Nope." Bunny smirked.

Jack glared at the Pooka for a second longer before he turned and flew up into the tree, a few branches higher than he'd been previously occupying.

Bunny watched for a few moments as the teen disappeared inside the tree's leaves before he emerged again with a small makeshift bag. He floated down to the base of the tree and immediately sank down to sit with his legs crossed, the bag set on the floor in front of him. Bunny took that as his cue so he hopped over to the winter spirit and sat down across from him.

Jack glanced up at his companion before he started untying the string that was holding the bag closed. He then unfolded the four corners of the material to reveal the contents. Inside there were four mini ice sculptures, excluding the Tooth figurine which Jack now put with the others. Five sculptures, one of each of the Guardians.

"Crikey, Frostbite, you made all these?" Bunny asked, surprised but clearly impressed.

Jack shrugged, "I guess so, yeah."

"When did you start making them?" Bunny questioned.

"Well, the mini-me I made about two hundred years ago so it might be a little scratched," Bunny carefully picked up the ice sculpture of Jack and turned it over in his paw. The winter spirit from two centuries ago looked no different than modern Jack with the ever-present staff in his right hand except, instead of the blue hoodie, an ice cloak spread around his shoulders. In spite of what Jack said, not a scratch marred the perfection of the figure.

"The others I started making about six months ago, I think…" Jack continued

The time frame felt familiar to Bunny, "Six months? That's right after the Pitch Black fiasco."

Jack nodded, "Yup, just after…" He averted his gaze and started twiddling his thumbs awkwardly.

"Sooo, why the two hundred year gap?" Bunny prodded. He had a feeling that Jack was thinking something he was unwilling to share out loud.

"Dunno, I just didn't have anything else to make, I guess." The young spirit had now found something incredible interesting to stare at in the woods to the right of them.

Bunny instantly knew that that was a lie, Jack's favourite place was surrounded with inspiration and, knowing Jack's creativity, he would have found something worth making an ice sculpture of. But then again, the new Guardian didn't seem to be lying when he implied these were the only ones he'd made.

Bunny smiled and placed ice Jack back with the other Guardians, right were he belonged.

"You started making these after you became a Guardian, didn't ya?"

"Maaybe…" Jack drew out the syllables, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, "Of course, that's just a complete coincidence."

"Uh huh," Bunny said knowingly, "Sure it is. OK, Frost, out with it."

Jack finally looked directly at the Guardian of Hope, a very confused look on his face, "Out with what?"

"What's the real reason why ya started making these?" The Easter Guardian was now positive Jack was hiding something so, therefore, Bunny dedicated himself to find out exactly what it was.

"There isn't a real reason! I just, you know, decided to." Jack tried desperately to shut down the argument before it really got on a roll.

However, Bunny refused to back down, "I may not have known ya that long, Frostbite, but I know when ya lyin'"

"I am not!" Jack's voice rose in volume and he sprang up to float a metre or so off the ground.

"Woah! Frosty, calm down! Fine, OK then! If you don't wanna tell me then you don't have to." Bunny put his paws out in front of him in a calming gesture. Sure, he wanted to know what was going on with the ice works but that didn't mean he was willing to stress out the winter spirit to find out.

Jack slowly drifted back down to the ground and resumed his position cross-legged across from Bunny. He took a deep breath and carefully picked up the mini ice Jack. He stayed silent for a minute or two, apparently deep in thought. Bunny was just about to suggest that they head back to the pole when Jack suddenly broke the silence.

"I made them because I wasn't on my own anymore. For three hundred years, I was alone and, I guess, ice Jack represented that. I didn't make another sculpture for two hundred years because nothing I made would have felt meaningful. When I became a Guardian, suddenly, there was someone else there; it wasn't just me and the Wind anymore. I- I had people that cared about what happened to me, who looked at me as part of their team and not a hindrance or a troublemaker. Mini Jack isn't alone anymore because, well, because I'm not alone now. I have my own weird, amazing family now."

Jack's voice got quieter the longer he talked, until he uttered that long-awaited final sentence and silence fell once again. He stared intently at ice Jack as he turned it over and over in his hands, sending delicate frost patterns across its small surface.

Bunny could never have guessed that that was the truth behind a simple ice figurine. The newest and youngest Guardian had felt more alone for three hundred years than any of them could have even imagined. But now that Jack had joined the Guardians, he looked at his fellows as a family.

Bunny scooted round so he was sat next to the winter spirit; the Pooka glanced at Jack before staring straight ahead again. Jack sat unmoving with his head down, the ice figure in his hands now still. They stayed like this for several moments before Bunny broke the silence, "Crikey, kid, come 'ere." And with that, he grabbed the winter with one arm around the shoulders and pulled him into a hug. Jack jumped slightly at the sudden contact but didn't pull away. It only lasted a couple of seconds before Bunny dropped his arm and folded them both across his chest.

"If you tell the others about that, I'll find ya and kill ya with your own ice, got it?" The Pooka threatened.

Jack face broke into a grin and he laughed wickedly, "Of course not. We wouldn't want the others thinking that the feared Easter bunny is getting soft now, would we?"

Bunny tried in vain to hide a smile, instead he elbowed the winter spirit not-so-harshly in the arm. "Shuddup, Frost."

Jack laughed again before putting the ice figure back with the others and folding the material back into a bag. "Well, we better get back before the others start to think we've both been eaten by ice-crunchin', bunny-munchin' monster. Plus, you never actually told them I wasn't in some sort of trouble, sooo."

Bunny realized the kid was right, "Good point, let's go."

"Hang on," Jack had a last minute thought, "You're not going to tell the others about these, are you?" He held the bag of ice up to demonstrate.

"Nah, course not." Bunny smiled.

"Good, because if you did, I may just send them your way for a bunny hug." Jack knew the perfect way to keep the Pooka quiet.

"You wouldn't…" Bunny stared in horror at the grinning winter spirit.

"Maybe I would, maybe I wouldn't. Let's not find out, shall we?" Jack struck a deal.

After Jack got a mumble of agreement from Bunny, he flew up to hide his figurines back in the tree. Not long after, both Guardians headed back to the Pole via Bunny's tunnels (Jack complained about how far away the Pole was when he had to fly and that Bunny would get there before him. Plus he secretly loved travelling through the earth nearly as much as flying above it.)

 **Phew, that was a workout! XD So, if you made it this far, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thank you to anyone who has read/reviewed/followed/favourited!**

 **Until next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, hello everyone, I've a present for ya! Chapter 3! Sorry, I get way too excited about uploading new chapters. By the way, this chapter may hit you right in the feels 0.0 I'm sorry XD It may be confusing at first but this one is indeed set before the movie. Anyway, shout-outs!**

 **sparklehannah: Aw, thanks! I'm glad you like each little bit. I definitely think Bunny has a soft side, whether he wants to admit it or not, haha!**

 **GoddessOfTechnology: I'm glad you like it! Sorry, I do read through each chapter several times but errors just worm their way past my notice, thanks for telling me though! Why of course! I shall write it down and have a go! :D**

 **Guest: I shall record it and see what I can come up with, thanks for the review!**

Summary: An unexpected visitor joins Jack at his lake after a particularly lonely day of spreading winter for children that don't see him.

Chapter 3: The Unexpected Visitor

After a long night of spreading winter over Burgess's neighbouring towns, Jack Frost had nothing on his mind other than heading straight to his lake and relaxing in his favourite tree overlooking all his hard work.

Jack's bare feet sank into the thick snow blanketing the ground; his staff dragging lazily not far behind, leaving an icy trail in its wake. The young spirit gazed around his surroundings to admire all the sparkling icicles dangling from the tree branches as he wandered through the forest towards his lake. Of course, he could get there quicker if he flew, but then he'd miss the beauty of the frozen landscape if he did.

As the iced lake came into view, Jack smiled as the thought of having a nap in his favourite place. However, that plan was soon forgotten as Jack stopped dead in his tracks as he spotted a small figure hunched by the edge of the lake with their back to him.

W _hat was a child doing out at this time in the morning? Especially on their own. Maybe they're lost?_ Jack frowned as he contemplated the answer.

Jack Frost was not one to simply walk away from nagging curiosity, so he slowly floated up so he was a few centimetres off the ground then flew around the figure until he was hovering over the middle of the lake, about 10 metres in front of the child.

The little girl's long brown hair fell in front of her face, hiding her features but her small hands seemed occupied drawing little pictures in the thin layer of snow that had covered the ice of the lake. The hem of her simple brown dress was darkened where the snow had soaked into the fabric.

Jack looked around the clearing, expecting to see the girl's parents or at least an older sibling, but the child seemed alone. His confused gaze turned back at the child as he floated just a bit closer. The winter spirit landed gently on the ice only a few metres in front of her and he sank down so he was sitting on the ice with his legs crossed, his staff laid across his knees and his brown cloak spread around him.

Of course, Jack didn't expect the girl to acknowledge his presence but that didn't matter. If the child was on her own in the middle of a forest then she needed a protector, Jack decided, and he wasn't just going to leave her on her own when all sorts of wildlife prowled through the undergrowth.

The young spirit was in such deep thought that he nearly had a heart attack when a small voice announced, "Isn't snow just so pretty? I love the way it sparkles."

Jack took a deep breathe to recover from the shock and smiled at the little girl's comment, thinking she was just talking to herself to fill the silence. However, he was surprised when the girl lifted her head and stared directly towards him. His eyes widened before he glanced around him to make sure no one had turned up behind him without him knowing.

Satisfied that no one else was present, Jack turned to face the girl again, "Y-you can see me?" To emphasise, the winter spirit leant far to the left. The little girl's eyes followed him. He leant the other way. The pair of brown eyes followed him. She must have found his actions comical as a smile broke out on her face and she giggled.

"Of course I can see you. You're sat right in front of me!"

"B-but how? How can you see me? No one can see me!" Jack said, shocked.

"Well, they mustn't be looking very hard then!" She concluded.

Suddenly, Jack's face lit up and he laughed, "You can see me! Yes! This is amazing!"

The girl joined in with his joyous laughter as the mystery boy in front of her stood up then flew off in a loop around the lake before coming to kneel back in front of her.

"You _can_ fly! I thought I saw you floating before but I wasn't sure." The little girl mused.

"That's not the only thing I can do! Watch this!" Jack proceeded to form a snow ball in his hand before throwing up in the air where it exploded and showered the pair in softly falling snow.

"Woah! That's amazing!" The little girl threw her arms up and tried to catch as many snowflakes as possible. A sprinkling landed in her hair, where the white of the snow contrasted against the dark strands of her hair. "Can we play a game? Do you want to build a snowman?" She asked to her new friend.

The winter spirit grinned, "Of course we can!"

The pair started out by building a simple snowman but as the girl's imagination grew more creative, as only a child's can, sculptures of all shapes and sizes were invented. Creatures from dogs to bears and make-believe animals occupied the space around the lake's edge.

Hours passed by as Jack and the girl built snow sculptures then used them as cover during the many snow ball fights that followed. Laughter, cheers and yells rang through the forest but no danger prowled out from within the trees to ruin the day. However, neither did any family or friend come to collect their child from their playground. These thoughts never crossed Jack's mind as he interacted with someone from the mortal world for the first time in hundreds of years. The young child in Jack was able to play and forget about the responsibility of spreading winter, even if it was just for a few hours.

Before either of them knew it, the sun was just beginning to set. Shadows danced across the snowy ground as the trees seemed to set on fire in the orange light of the fading sun. Jack stood for a moment, admiring the scene around him. He glanced at his new friend and smiled, finally, truly, happy for the first time in years.

The little girl stood up from where she'd been building a small snow castle to face Jack.

"It's time to wake up, Jack."

Jack frowned in confusion, "What?"

"Wake up."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Jack blinked his eyes open. The rough bark of the tree dug into his back as he overlooked the empty lake. Light from the moon filtered through the trees to shine down and sparkle on the sheet of untouched snow on the ground below. He pulled his legs in closer to his chest and laid his head on his knees. A look of sadness crossed the young spirit's face before a small smile graced his lips. One day, Jack hoped that he would have memories to dream of and not just his mind creating scenarios to keep the loneliness at bay.

 ***Cough* Yes, 'do you want to build a snowman?' was completely on purpose. Ahh, let's see how many people I can annoy with one sentence XD (However, I am also a massive Disney fan sooo) Anywho, thanks for reading!**

 **Until next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm so sorry for the long wait! I had this all written up right up until almost the end then I had a writer's block (I struggle so much with dialogue, it's ridiculous!) but here it is eventually. The next chapter should be a request one so anyone who has given me a request, I will do them! I just wanted to get this one out there. Anyway, shout-outs…**

 **sparklehannah: His sister, you say? Hmmm… *Shifty eyes* I shall leave that up to you XD But thanks!**

 **Giulia (Guest): Haha! That's great! (Everyone needs a sneaky Disney reference in their day)**

 **ActionLover203: If it's one of your own OCs then sure! I could sure have a go if you would like me too. However, if it's someone else's then I would rather not, I respect other people's creations and think they should stay with that author unless they specifically asked me to include their character. Hope this helps!**

 **Summary: Jack finds himself in a spot of bother so he heads to the Pole hoping to recover on his own. However, he reluctantly accepts help from the Guardians when they have other ideas.**

Chapter4: The Unfortunate Incident

"SNOW DAY!" Jack Frost yelled in excitement as he flew across a snow white landscape, looping and diving through the frigid air. Woops of laughter echoed between buildings, being heard by none but a single child who believed in the magic of the winter season.

Jack admired his hard work from above; the frozen wind biting at his face and whipping his untameable hair into even more of a mess. He swooped through the air before landing gracefully in the top branches of a tree that seemed to tower over the park it was situated in. The young winter spirit gazed at the view for a moment before his childish ways got the better of him. Quite suddenly, he stood with his back ramrod straight and a clenched fist on his hip, looking like a king surveying his kingdom. His deadpanned face judged the landscape to the left, then the right before he stared straight ahead and gave a very serious nod of approval.

As quickly as it went, the grin that Jack Frost was known for returned to his pale face. He swapped his crooked Shepard's staff from his right hand to his left before he placed the ancient piece of wood behind his neck and hooked both wrists over it. He started walking along the branch he was on, carefully placing one bare foot in front of another along the natural tightrope.

A high pitched screech from above had the spirit staring upwards just as a little Robin flew across the cloudless sky. As the bird disappeared from view, Jack found himself switching his gaze to the moon. The same moon that had watched over him for 300 years with the name Jack Frost being the only words he spoke. Of course, he had the Guardians and his believers now, but the winter spirit still found himself wondering what Man in Moon's motive was to keeping him in the dark for all that time.

Jack frowned at the moon, more in thought than in judgement. However, his expression changed rapidly to that of shock as the familiar feeling of bark against his foot vanished as his foot slipped from the branch. He gasped at the sudden shock as he lost his balance and he felt himself start to fall. Of course, the wind was there ready to catch her favourite spirit, if only his staff hadn't been knocked out of his hand by a rapidly passing branch. The wind was helpless in trying to help Jack as he fell, seemingly catching every branch on the way down.

Finally, after what felt like years to the spirit, the ground approached rapidly. However, since the ground was uncovered of snow due to the tree's cover, the landing was very unforgiving. Jack yelled out in pain as he landed hard on his right arm; a crack sounding from his wrist upon impact. He lay still for a moment before the pain built up so much until he had no choice but to take the weight off of his injured arm. He carefully pushed himself up using his left arm but even that proved a challenge as pain shot down his fingers.

"OK, definitely not my most graceful landing," The young Guardian said to no one in particular. He sat cross-legged, clutching his limb to his chest and pondered what to do next. After a minute or two, he decided the Pole was probably the best place, just to see what the damage was to his wrist (he was pretty sure he knew what it was but just to be sure) and maybe get some rest whilst trying to avoid the Guardian of Wonder as much as possible.

Decision made, Jack stood up carefully; grabbing his staff, which had landed not too far away and now had permanent residence in his left hand. He tucked his right hand into his hoody pocket as a makeshift sling before flying off towards the Pole.

0o0o0o0

His usual window leading into the Globe Room was open when he arrived. His wrist had been bothering him the whole journey there so he was fully looking forward to resting his throbbing limb. However, his plan of finding a quiet chair somewhere was thrown out the window when he discovered the Globe Room wasn't as empty as he had hoped. All four of the other Guardians were gathered in various armchairs around the fireplace. Jack thought he'd gotten away with not being seen but, unfortunately, his hopes were dashed when North suddenly looked up and spotted the young winter spirit floating just inside the window, looking like a rabbit caught in the headlights.

"Jack! There you are! Come, join us. We are just having catch-up on schedules and plans."

Jack tried desperately to think of an excuse to get out of staying, "Um, sorry, North but I've got to… A lot of work to do. England's due some snow and you know how them Brits are…" Jack's attempt at humour was foiled when North completely disregarded his excuse.

"Pah, I'm sure it can wait for a while. Besides, you've only got here! Now, come, grab a chair."

The youngest Guardian couldn't think of anyway to get out of the situation without looking suspicious. So with a silent sigh, Jack made his way over to the empty chair furthest away from the burning flames, keeping his right arm as still as possible inside his pocket. He plonked himself down, resting his staff across his knees, and then returned a wave that Sandy sent his way from his chair closest to the fire.

"Fantastic! So how are you doing Jack? All well?" North addressed the winter spirit. Jack tried to answer as honestly as possibly (which wasn't all that hard since everything had been going fine until not too long ago).

"Yeah, everything's fine. Great, actually." The spirit smiled, trying to look as relaxed as possible, even though a spike of pain had just shot down to his fingertips as he twisted in his seat to see North.

"That is good to hear, Jack…" North started but was interrupted by Bunny, who had been sitting silently in a chair next to Sandy.

"Hang on a minute, North. Is your hand alright, Frostbite?" Bunny had noticed the youngest Guardian had yet to take his right hand out of his hoody pocket.

"What?" Jack asked, slightly startled.

"Show me ya hand." The Pooka said, bluntly, suspicious that Jack was hiding an injury he didn't want to tell them about. However, he seemed to be proven wrong when Jack, albeit slowly, took his right hand out of his pocket and held it up, completely undamaged, then wriggled his fingers for good measure. What Bunny didn't know was that Jack instantly regretted the last action as he had to stifle a gasp as the nerves in his arm protested at the simple movement. Fortunately, Bunny seemed satisfied with his answer, so Jack lowered the limb as gently as possible and rested it in his lap.

"OK then, now that that's sorted, I was wondering if you guys would give me a second opinion on something I've been working on." North tried to diffuse the tension that seemed to have built up between two of his fellows, slightly confused as to the cause of it.

Jack and Bunny had been having a silent staring war but Jack broke it off as his attention caught on Tooth when she suddenly floated up from her seat.

"That's amazing, North! Aww, this Christmas is going to be brilliant, the kids are going to be so excited! As long as it's not candy, of course." The fairy suddenly paused her excited ramblings to face North with a very serious expression on her face, her hands on her hips.

North held his hands up in surrender and an innocent smile on his face, "Definitely not! Christmas with candy? How strange!" The Guardian of Wonder joked with a chuckle, earning a smile from the Tooth Fairy in the meantime. "That's if Jack doesn't eat all it all first, of course, right Jack?"

"Hey! I would never! How could you think that?" Jack put his left hand over his heart, as if honestly offended. However, the effect was ruined by the mischievous smirk that found a place on his pale face.

Tooth flitted her way across to Jack's chair and gazed in amazement at the winter spirit, "And yet, you still have perfect teeth, how do you do it, Jack?"

The mischievous grin turned charming and the Guardian of Fun shrugged one-shouldered, "Well, it's just a natural talent, I guess." Tooth shook her head fondly, Bunny scoffed from his corner as Sandy chuckled silently from the chair next to him.

"A natural talent you better keep, now come on, I want to see this new Christmas idea!" Tooth said enthusiastically.

Jack was just about to get to his feet when Tooth suddenly grasped his right arm as if to tug him along with her. However, she quickly let go when the young winter spirit cried out in agony. Jack felt as if his whole arm had been crushed under a car; spikes of searing pain travelled up and down his wrist, making his fingertips tingle. He quickly tucked his arm across his chest, supporting it with his left arm at the elbow, as well as taking deep breaths to try and manage the pain. He looked up to see Tooth with her small hands covering her mouth in shock, her violet eyes wide in horror.

"It's OK! I'm alright! I promise!" Jack tried to calm the fairy before she could panic and completely freak out.

Unfortunately, it didn't go the way he'd planned as, after a moment, he heard an Australian accent call from across the chairs, "Well, apparently you're bloody not alrigh'. What the 'ell was that?" Bunny had stood up and had proceeded to make his way across to Jack and Tooth, followed closely by a concerned Sandy.

"Nothing! I'm fine! I-I better go; jobs to do and winter to spread." Jack decided the best way out of this was to get out the way completely. He tried lowering his clearly-injured wrist back to his side but the movement caused a massive wave of agony to snake up his arm. The others noticed the gasp of pain that the newest Guardian had desperately tried to stifle.

"Not a chance, mate. You ain't going anywhere 'till you tell us what happened." Bunny crossed his arms as he stared down at the smaller winter spirit.

"Nothing's happened! Tooth just caught me by surprise, that's all." Jack turned back to face the fairy, "I'm fine, please don't panic! You didn't do anything wrong." He reached out and put his good left hand on her shoulder, attempting to give her a reassuring smile. It seemed to work in calming the fairy down but, apparently, she didn't catch onto his lies of good health.

With a gentle smile, she reached down and took Jack's right hand in her own, then carefully raised it to better examine. With a finch from Jack, Tooth pushed his hoody sleeve up revealing a very bruised wrist. A shocked expression crossed the Guardian's faces; North cursed quietly in Russian.

"OK, um, maybe it is a little bruised." Jack tried.

"Uh huh, and I'm a unicorn." Bunny commented disapprovingly, "That's a nasty injury, Frostbite. So, what happened?"

The young winter spirit shifted nervously, rubbing the back of his neck with his good hand, "I may or may not have, possible, um, fallen out of a tree. But it's not that bad though, just a bruise."

Tooth gently let go of Jack's wrist and he slid his sleeve back over the bruised limb, placing it back into his pocket sling, wincing slightly as he had to bend his wrist to fit the curve of the material.

"Come on, Frosty. Let's go and set your arm before you damage it even more." The Guardian of Hope noticed the flinch and so placed his paw on Jack's shoulder.

"Indeed! And you shall stay in Workshop to rest and heal." North concluded cheerfully.

"Thanks, North, but I think I'll be OK. Quick healer and all that." Jack said.

"Pah! Nonense! Fix and heal, off we go."

0o0o0o0

North lead Jack and the other Guardians to a guest room where Jack then promptly thumped down on the bed.

"I will send yeti to go and get some supplies." The Guardian of Wonder then disappeared out the door where the others heard him yelling at whatever yeti was closest.

"Anyway, kid, how'd you fall out of a tree? What were you doing in it in the first place?" Bunny turned to Jack questioningly.

"Not much. And I just lost my balance." Jack answered vaguely.

"Since when does Jack Frost lose his balance?" Bunny asked incredulously. He'd seen the kid balance on all sorts of impossible objects without so much as a wobble. He couldn't imagine the winter spirit actually slipping and falling.

"Hey! Its does happen, sometimes. Just not very often." Jack shot back.

Just then, North walked back in with an armful of bandages.

"You know, you should probably have a cast on that arm." North chuckled when Jack rapidly turned his head in his direction and glared at him with a look of disgust and betrayal.

"Nice knowing you guys, bye now." Jack stood up quickly then proceeded to make his way towards the door. However, he was stopped abruptly in his tracks when Bunny grabbed his shoulders.

"You're not going anywhere, mate. Now sit down and let us fix your arm."

With a huff, Jack turned back and, once again, slumped down on the bed.

Bunny then took a bandage off of North and knelt in front of the sulking winter spirit, holding out a paw in waiting. Jack took his hand out of his pocket and reluctantly held it out. Bunny gently pushed Jack's hoody sleeve up, noticing the young spirit tense up slightly. He carefully wrapped up Jack's wrist with several layers of bandage then sat back on his heels. "Ok, all done, now rest it! Don't go flying off and cause it more damage."

"Yes, mother." Jack replied with a smirk, earning a poke to the shoulder for his trouble.

"Bunny is right, Jack, fix and heal, remember?" North defended the Guardian of Hope.

Jack looked from one Guardian to another before, arm tucked across his chest, he flopped backwards dramatically. Staring up at the ceiling, he heaved a sigh and let out a drawn-out childish, "Fiiine."

Satisfied that the winter spirit wouldn't just fly away as soon as their backs were turned, the Guardians started making their way to the door before a voice called them back.

"Thanks, guys, for caring and for your help." Jack had sat back up and was looking at each of them with a grateful smile.

North spoke for them all when he said, "You are very welcome, Jack. After all, what is family for?"

 **Ok, I hope you enjoyed that chapter! As I said, hopefully the next one should be a request so…**

 **Until next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**OK, so it's been…HOW LONG? Oh my, that's not good. That's not good at all. I could give a million excuses but unfortunately excuses don't update for me XD**

 **I think I also said that this *cough* was going to be a *cough* request… But ummm, yeah, sorry about that. I am working on them, I promise! I have several on the go at once and if I get stuck on one, I tend to start on another. I know, I know, it's really bad. But it also takes me forever to write chapters, I can't just write one in half an hour (I honestly wish I could but my brain doesn't seem to work like that :( )**

 **But here we are on chapter 5 (Finally XD) I think this chapter moves little too quickly but I really liked the idea ( even though I think it's been done an awful lot already) so here it is.**

 **Althea Sirius: Stubborn Jack is stubborn. Teenagers, eh? XD Okily dokily, I shall write it down and see what I can come up with.**

Summary: What if Jack had discovered the Warren before he'd met the Guardians?

Chapter 5: Paradise Discovery

How he discovered the entrance he would never know. But when the 200 year old winter spirit somehow found himself in a spring paradise, he knew he'd hit the jackpot. Plants of greens and reds, blues and yellows grew from every surface for as far as the eye could see. Thick grass grew underfoot from which trees as tall as buildings stood. Jack had no idea where this place was or how he'd never come across it in his 200 years of travels but his awe and curiosity could never stand in the way of such an adventure waiting to be experienced.

The clearing that Jack had found himself was surrounded by a thicket of undergrowth with only a single trail cutting through, leading away into the unknown. With graceful stealth the eternal teenager made his way to the natural alleyway; pale feet made little noise as they carefully trod the path. Excitement at discovering this beautiful setting buzzed through his limbs as he wove his way through the entangled plants and trees.

As the undergrowth thinned out, Jack slowed his speed. Over his long life time, he'd met his fair share of unfriendly spirits who'd love to show the inquisitive winter spirit just what they thought if he'd accidentally wondered into their domain. Not wanting to be caught by surprise, he snuck silently to where the trail opened up into another, much larger, clearing. Jack couldn't suppress a breath of admiration at the sheer size of such a place. This area held far more detail and complexities than the last. Rivers of colours flowed elegantly across the terrain, small bridges connecting islands between them. Boulders the size of trucks dotted the landscape and Jack noticed that on each stone, unusual features were carved. In the distance, rolling hills gently swept, curving into the bright blue of the cloudless sky.

Staff in hand, Jack took to the air and glided over the lush grass to the nearest river. The bright blue liquid seemed to shimmer in the sunlight as it ran past him. Cautiously, he reached out a hand and dabbed a finger into the swiftly moving current. Retracting his hand, he frowned in confusion as he inspected his now blue-painted finger.

Wanting to find out more about this curious place, the spirit floated up once again and flew to one of the miniature bridges spanning the river. Grabbing a small twig, Jack made his way to one side of the bridge. After dropping the stick down to the paint below, he dashed all of the three steps it took to get to the other side. Glancing down, he waited. Not 3 seconds later, the blue dyed twig floated past below. A childish smile broke out on his face as he sprung up into the air.

A gathering of the stone boulders stood motionless not too far away. As Jack snuck closer, he realised the carvings he'd noticed earlier decorating the stone's surface were, in fact, detailed faces. A blank expression stared back at him as he studied solid stone. Each face held meticulous details so similar yet so different, it seemed to give them their own personality. Bright cerulean eyes were as wide as saucers as a pale (unpainted) hand tentatively reached out to touch the rough surface; long fingers gracing the intricate carvings.

After a moment, the spirit stepped back and began to circle behind the boulder. However, he didn't make it very far before he jerked to a stop. It was only slight but it definitely wasn't there minutes ago. His face creased in concentration as he listened. All of a sudden, the slight rumble that he'd heard from behind him was accompanied by a tremor that shook the ground below his feet. What was happening? Maybe it was an earthquake? Rapidly, he spun on his heel, only to be faced with the giant boulder he'd only just walked away from seconds ago. His shoulders tensed as he started to slowly back away from the (apparently alive) creature; his eyes never leaving its form. It never tried to pursue him but he didn't exactly want to chance it. When he considered himself to be a safe distance away, he took to the sky and flew back to where he knew the path which brought him here in the first place was.

Initial shock over with, Jack hid himself within the treetops at the edge of clearing, where he was still able to see the rivers and stone creatures but, he hoped, with them unable to see him. Was it some kind of magic? What else was alive in here? These questions and more chased through the winter spirit's mind.

He was so lost in his own thoughts, however, that he missed the entrance of another being into the clearing. It was only as he happened to glance up did he notice a much smaller animal than the stones, but still taller than Jack himself, wandering towards the rivers. Forgetting that he was hidden from sight, the spirit gasped and ducked down behind a branch, accidentally rusting the leaves as he did so. He waited a moment before slowly straightening back up, careful to avoid making anymore noise. The creature he'd spotted was looking directly in his direction. Jack barely dared to breathe. He couldn't see with great detail at this distance away but from what he could make out, the intruder was human in shape but Jack noticed something that would explain how he was heard over such a great distance. Long ears stood listening out for any more unusual noises coming from Jack's direction.

As soon as the winter spirit realised this, everything fell into place. The spring environment, the rivers of paint and dye and the giant stone…"Eggs." Jack unintentionally spoke the word aloud. Luckily, it seemed like the anthropomorphic rabbit had decided against investigating the rustling further and so went about his business of testing the paints in the river and planting seeds in various areas.

Of course the winter spirit had heard of the famous Easter spirit and Guardian but never had he come across the well-known Pooka. E. Aster Bunnymund was one of four legendary Guardians of Childhood; each spirit protecting something within children. Jack had heard of all of them but had only ever met one: The Sandman-Guardian of Dreams. If only he could pluck up the courage to go and say hello. However, after much internal debate, Jack decided turning up out of the blue and saying 'how do you do' to a Guardian whose home he'd broken into probably wasn't the best way to go about it.

Maybe one day their paths would cross but for now, Jack turned his back and silently flew back the way he'd come in. Finding the exit, he disappeared back into the outside world. Back to his lake and to being alone.

 **Hello again. Ok, so the next chapter is already written so I will be able to upload it later this week. Oh and it's also A LOT longer than this little drabble XD Thank you so much for reading!**

 **Until next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Well hello friends. I forgot to say in the last chapter…HAPPY EASTER! I hope you all had a fun and loving Easter!**

 **Ok, so here is the extra long chapter I promised. Be prepared, the feels are comin' your way!**

 **ActionLover203: Awww, thank you so much! I'm so glad to be back!**

Summary: When a traumatic event knocks Jack's usually cheerful mood, the Guardians are determined to get to the bottom of what happened.

Chapter 6: Buried Past

It had started off a beautiful day; the sun's rays shining in a way only the winter's light could, turning the snow to glitter as it bounced off miles of ice that smothered the mountain range. The white tip of each mountain blended perfectly with the horizon, reaching higher as if trying to touch the heavens itself.

The biting nip of the air froze the noses of the hikers that had been brave enough to venture out to view this seasonal beauty. Wool scarves and gloves tried in vain to contain the little heat of the cold bodies beneath. Not that the hikers minded, of course, the picturesque landscape that stretched out before them was worth the numb fingers and sore feet. They had been planning this trip for months. The three life-long friends had dreamed of experiencing the wonder of the winter season first hand in an untouched environment for years and finally, they had made it.

Just a mile or so to go and the two women and one man would have made it to the top of one of the tallest mountains in the range. Each step felt like a thousand but excitement and determination overtook tiredness and fatigue at the prospect of this once in a life-time moment. Just a little further to go…

But they would never make it. A continuous roar like thunder shook the ground beneath their feet. Eyes widened in fear and breaths caught in throats as the realisation of the situation caught up to the experienced hikers. Though they had never taken the challenge of tackling a snowy mountain before, research and warnings had told them that many who attempted the very task before them, had suffered a fate that they had never returned from.

They had heeded the information as just that: a warning. It would never happen to them, of course. Nothing ever happened to them. But the wall of ice and snow that was hurtling towards them from above told a different story. Their dream adventure had started off just as they had imagined it to. However, they hadn't realised that the finale would never be reached; that their dream would die with them.

0o0o0o0

Jack Frost was in his element. Quite literally. The mountains surrounding him were blanketed in snow and ice as Jack flew at top speed through the sky, unable to feel the cold that tried its best to whip at his face and bare feet. His arms were outstretched as he glided, while his laughter echoed off of the miles of white wonder.

This was a place he could release his power without having to worry about harming anyone. He could create blizzards that stretched for miles or freeze areas solid without having to take precautions about if anyone would slip. The young winter spirit swooped and dived between the mountains before coming to rest on the very tip of one. He closed his eyes, marvelling in the knowledge of his height above the ground, his ever-present staff clutched in one hand.

The moment of calm over, the spirit leapt from the tip and, with a gesture of a hand, landed lightly on a smooth piece of ice that the winter teen proceeded to use as a board to glide over the unstable snow. Behind him he could hear the rumble of snow chasing him down the sloping descent. A game of cat and mouse ensued; Jack effortlessly keeping out of the clutches of the rolling snow as it followed close behind him. However risky the game seemed, Jack knew that he was in no real danger. All it would take was to fly straight upwards to be out of the path of the building wall.

Deciding that he wanted to watch the rest of the show from above, Jack abandoned his ice board to be swallowed up by the wave of snow and rocketed skywards. The sound was almost deafening and the spirit knew to keep well out of the way now as the falling element gained momentum. As it passed directly under him, he spared a glance down the mountain side, towards the direct path of the rolling snow. And his heart stopped. There, not 500 metres away, were three hikers, staring straight towards him. Of course, Jack knew they weren't looking at him but more at the wall of snow bearing down on them.

Time seemed to freeze before the spirit snapped into action. The hikers seemed impossibly far away as Jack flew at top speed towards them. He had no plan, no time and no idea how he could have been so reckless. The hikers themselves stood rooted to the spot, too terrified to move. It was a race of nature against spirit. Who would reach them first? Would this end in saviour or disaster?

Jack was half way to them when some part of his mind realised the truth of what was going to happen. He pushed to fly faster, even though he knew it was futile. The snow had too much distance on him. The avalanche would reach the hikers first. Jack Frost would be too late to save them.

0o0o0o0

A gentle snowfall wove its way through the cluster of trees and landed gracefully on the frozen surface of the lake. Curled up with his knees to his chest sat a slight figure with snow white hair. Two hours earlier, he had caused a tragedy that three hikers would never walk away from. Three people who had their whole lives ahead of them, who had plans, dreams and aspirations.

 _Now they'll never be able to try. And it's all my fault._ Jack wrapped his arms tighter around his knees, burying his face further into them. He stayed in that position for a little while before his neck protested at the continued strain. Stretching out on his back, he stared at the grey sky above him, hands clasped over his stomach. The blue and brown of his hoodie and pants contrasted sharply with the stark white of the ice under him. Suddenly, a small object flitted across his vision, snapping him out of the trance he had started slipping into.

"Baby Tooth?" Jack called, confused. He sat up to greet the feathery creature who looked at him with concern in her mismatched eyes. She squeaked at him which the winter spirit took as a question of was he OK. He gave her a sad smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, "I'm fine, Baby Tooth. Promise." She stared at him for a second longer before swiftly darting off and, as quickly as she appeared, she had vanished.

Jack gazed for a moment in confusion towards the direction she had disappeared. Figuring that the mini Tooth had just remembered something important, he resumed his previous position laid on the ice. Thoughts and regrets chased each other round his mind for another few minutes, making him feel exhausted and empty. Once again starting to slip into a sort of daze, Jack felt the world around him start to blur together. With a strange sense of déjà vu, however, the spirit was startled back to his senses when a familiar face appeared above him.

"Jack? Are you OK, sweet tooth?" Tooth asked, worry clearly evident in her voice.

"Tooth! Hi, um, yeah, I'm fine, why do you ask?" Jack tried his best to regain his composure after the mini heart attack the fairy had just given him. He grabbed his staff, which had been next to him, and stood up so he was on her level.

"Well, Baby Tooth just came to me saying you were laid on the ice looking upset and said you were fine when you clearly weren't. Now I know what she was talking about. So, are you sure you're alright, sweetie?"

Jack couldn't quite get himself to meet her violet eyes, so instead he stared at his feet and responded to a question he hadn't figured out the answer to yet. He couldn't tell her of the incident that had just occurred, she'd be horrified. He wasn't quite sure he'd come to terms with it himself yet. No, he definitely couldn't tell. He responded slightly more snappishly than he intended, "I told you, I'm fine! I was just having some down time."

"And there it is." Tooth gently lifted his chin with a finger so the winter spirit was forced to meet her gaze. She smiled at his puzzled expression, "You never have down time. You can't stay still for more than 5 minutes which means you're definitely lying. Come on, we're going to North's" And with that she grabbed his wrist and tugged him into the air.

"Wait, what?! Why are we going to North's?" But Jack's protests went ignored by the fairy queen who simply continued to drag him in the direction of the Workshop. That was, until Jack pulled her to a stop high above the ocean.

"Tooth, I'm fine, I don't need to go to North's" Jack said in a kind voice, knowing the Guardian of Memories meant well but honestly, he didn't have the energy to deal with the slightly over-bearing Guardians at the moment. However, Tooth wasn't having any of it. She stared at him with a disbelieving look but replied with, "OK, you don't have to go. But I'm going there now and I think the others are there; you might as well join us. It'll be nice, a little get-together."

Jack knew he had no reason to refuse to go and, even if he did, it definitely wouldn't help his case on convincing Tooth he was perfectly alright. It looked as if he didn't have much of a choice. He sighed and gave her a small smile, "OK, then, I'll come."

0o0o0o0

Not long later, the Guardians of Memories and Fun flew into the Globe Room at Santoff Clausen. Just as the fairy had said, their fellow Guardians were milling around, drinking eggnog or (in a certain Pooka's case) warming feet by the fire. At the feel of a chilling breeze that accompanied the winter teen everywhere, Bunny turned away from the fireplace and settled himself into an armchair before greeting the new arrivals, "Hey, Tooth. Hey, Frostbite. Um, Tooth, why are ya keeping the kid hostage?"

Indeed, Tooth still had hold of Jack's wrist, forgetting that she could actually let go of the winter spirit when they came into the Globe Room. However, her fingers sprang away immediately on remembering. She spoke to her now-freed hostage before turning to the mildly amused Pooka, "Sorry, Jack, I completely forgot. And I was not keeping him hostage! He came of his own accord, right, Jack?"

Jack, who'd been quiet throughout their exchange, his mind wandering back to hours before, snapped back to the present, "Oh, of course."

Bunny frowned slightly but thought nothing of Jack's lack of attention, at least, for the moment. Instead he addressed the newest Guardian with a smirk, just loud enough for the fairy to over-hear, "So, where'd she kidnap ya from?"

"I did not kidnap him! And I did not hold him hostage! Please tell him, Jack." Tooth turned desperately to the youngest Guardian but, despite his fondness for the fairy queen, Jack couldn't let the opportunity to tease her pass. A sidelong glance and a simple response of "Burgess," along with a cheeky smirk was all it took for Tooth to send him a startlingly frightening glare.

However, her naturally sweet nature meant she couldn't really be mad at him, not for long, at least. Her expression softened before she patted Jack on the shoulder then flitted over to a spare armchair. Jack followed her and curled up in the chair furthest away from the roaring flames, staff leant against the arm beside him.

"So, what have you been up ta, Frosty? Burgess getting a little too thawed out for ya liking?" Bunny asked.

"And that is exactly why I brought him here." Tooth broke in suddenly before Jack had a chance to answer, "Because he wasn't doing anything, just laid on the lake looking incredibly lonely. I couldn't just leave you there, Sweet Tooth." Tooth's violet eyes held worry as her fingers fiddled with nervousness, her anxiousness for him to understand evident.

"Really? You alright, kid?" Bunny asked suspiciously.

"Why does everyone keep asking that?! I'm fine!" Jack shot back. Tension starting creeping into his muscles at being the centre of attention. Attention he knew he had no chance of deflecting if the others thought something was amiss.

"It doesn't take a minute to tell us if something's happened, ya know. It's not the end of the world, Frosty." The Guardian of Hope's joking tone had vanished to be replaced by a tone of seriousness.

 _Not the end of the world maybe, but the end of three lives._ An overwhelming feeling of sadness replaced the anger and the winter spirit took a deep sigh, looking away from his colleagues and into the dancing flames of the fireplace. Unbeknownst to him, Tooth and Bunny shared a worried glance, before their attention was drawn to the arrival of the final two Guardians who had just entered the room.

"Ah, full house! Fantastic!" North's thunderous voice rang through the Globe Room as he and Sandy joined the others at the fire front. "So, what is discussion?"

"Not much, North, just wondering why Frostbite here is lying to us." Bunny had clearly made up his mind up on whether to believe Jack's claim. The Pooka was sitting cross-armed and looking expectantly at Jack, who sat glaring daggers at the older Guardian.

"I am not lying, and if you'll excuse me I'm going to get some cookies from the kitchen. I'll see you all later." The Winter Spirit took the first opportunity he could to get out of the room. The situation was growing out of his control and he knew if he didn't leave, he'd end up digging himself a hole of excuses. He grabbed his staff, flew over the back of the chair he'd just vacated and glided out of the room as fast as possible without drawing suspicion.

 _Trust Bunny to suspect something, he can't let anything go. That Kangaroo's far too observant for his own good._ Once out into the corridor, he drew up his hood so it covered his features and stuffed his spare hand into the pocket of his hoodie. His mind started wandering as he drifted aimlessly through the various corridors of the Workshop, passing yetis and elves who were scurrying from room to room.

A trail of ice traced the line the staff drew on the wooden floor as the frost teen dragged it behind him. The same ice that had ended lives. Jack knew that his season was not for the faint of heart and, unintentionally or not, his season had killed. Jack was always cautious of the freezing temperatures his snow brought and, seeing as the last incident occurred 50 years ago, he thought he'd been doing a pretty good job in controlling where he sent his most deadly blizzards. But apparently he wasn't careful enough.

Jack eventually came across a door on his right that he knew to be a storage room, so with a quick glance behind him, he slid inside. Within, the room was crammed floor to ceiling with cardboard boxes and shelves; each box stuffed to the brim with various objects that Jack thought to be Christmas decorations. An arched-shaped window stretched across half of the back wall, starting at floor height and reaching high above the winter spirit's head. Unlike the one in North's office, this one didn't have a window seat so Jack settled himself cross-legged on the wooden floor, looking out over the white landscape.

He knew the others would understand if he decided to tell them what had happened but he just couldn't bring himself to do it, couldn't bring himself to admit that he wasn't all fun and laughter, that when his power went wrong the results were deadly. It was at his hands that people froze or slipped, at his hands that lives were lost. These thoughts had haunted him for centuries but Jack had been quite successful at stifling their nagging for attention. Only once in a while did he lose the battle and the dark thoughts would slip back into his awareness. At these times, they circled around and around his mind for days. However, he knew that these guilty thoughts would not make good company for the many hundreds of years ahead of him. Each time, he slowly managed to drag himself back and paste on the grin he was so famous for.

It appeared he had lost the battle once again. Unfortunately, this time it would be even harder to deal with; keeping his dark mood from the Guardians was not going to be easy.

Jack blinked back into the present when a gentle knock at the door broke the silence in the room. He kept his gaze on the monotonous view in front of him as he heard the handle of the door turn. He heard the click of the door shutting and light footsteps coming towards him. As the figure knelt down next to him, he moved for the first time for what felt in years, bringing his legs in front of him and wrapping his arms around his knees. He turned his head slightly to see who his silent companion was and frowned, "Since when do you knock?"

"Since when do ya run off when a lame excuse for cookies?" Bunny shot back.

"Hey, I happen to like cookies, I'll have you know." Jack glared at the Pooka who just looked disbelievingly back

"And yet, here ya are, sat cookie-less in a storage room." Bunny knew that to get Jack talking about what was bothering him, the older Guardian would have to stop the winter spirit from darting down a different conversation path and avoiding the subject entirely.

"It's a very nice storage room…" Jack turned his gaze back to the window, propping his chin on his knees.

A moment of silence passed before Bunny spoke again, "Jack, what's happened?"

Bunny could see the conflict pass over the young spirit's face; an internal war raging. Apparently, the untrusting side won out as, quite suddenly, Jack grabbed his staff and launched himself off of the floor. "In the world? Well, quite a lot actually, I think. Politics has been making the news a lot recently…"

"Jack! You know perfectly well what I mean." Bunny had stood up rather rapidly when Jack had so he now towered over the winter teen who was stubbornly avoiding his friend's gaze. "Talk to me, mate."

"About what? The weather? You've made it clear you don't want to talk about politics." Jack shrugged and started wandering around the dust-covered room, freezing random boxes of decorations.

Bunny half covered his eyes with a paw, frustration building up inside him. "Bloody 'ell, kid. Why do ya have to make this so difficult?" He muttered under his breath.

"I am not! Just go back to the others and I'll stay here in my cookie-less storage room without an annoying kangaroo bothering me." Jack, sharp of hearing that he was, yelled back from behind a shelf.

However, as soon as he said it, the young spirit knew that wasn't actually what he wanted. He didn't want to be left alone with the dark thoughts he'd become so accustomed to. On the other hand, nor did he want to be flung back into the company of the bundle of energy that was the Guardians. He'd known the Guardians for some time now; perhaps it was time to start trusting them with some things. Of course, after 300 years alone, that wasn't going to be at all easy. If he was going to say anything, Jack knew he wouldn't be able to face them all at once. Out of all of the Guardians, (even though they would constantly argue and insult each other) Bunny was probably the one he would trust the most to confide in.

 _Ahh, who says fate isn't real?_ Jack took a deep breath and slowly walked out from behind the shelves. Bunny was stood with his arms crossed, looking patient and not at all as annoyed as Jack had expected him to be. He didn't move as the winter spirit strode by him and retook his place on the wooden floor in front of the grand window. Only when the youngest Guardian spoke did the Pooka move to join him.

Jack plucked up the nerve and, with a huge amount of mental encouragement, told his friend of the tragedy of only a few hours earlier. Bunny said nothing as Jack spoke, not wanting to break the spirit's resolve, even when he started speaking faster and faster as the retelling went on. The teen never made eye contact with his companion; only staring out at the blank wilderness beyond the window. The plain colour of snow that rose up on the distant hills made the telling of the story all the more difficult. Though he spoke faster, his voice slowly dimmed in volume, until eventually, he was practically whispering.

When he finished, Jack was motionless, his arms hugging his knees once again. A haunted look clouded his eyes; a look that Bunny suspected had been there longer than any of them had known him.

Bunny eventually spoke, his voice no louder than Jack's had been, and yet, it seemed to disturb the ghosts that had settled in the room. "This isn't the first time something like this has happened, is it?" It was more of an observation than a real question but Bunny's thoughts were confirmed when Jack silently shook his head.

"When was the last time?" Bunny asked, aware that the Winter Spirit could shut him out at any moment.

"1968." Jack responded after a moment's hesitation.

Bunny mulled the date over in his mind, convinced that it sounded vaguely familiar.

"Wait, 1968? That's the year I first met you. The year…" The details kept coming to him; however, he was stopped when Jack abruptly interrupted him.

"Yes, but it doesn't matter. None of it does. I'm just being stupid. My power kills. It's who I am…It's what I am." Jack rested his head on his knees, facing away from the Guardian of Hope.

"Jack, this is not who you are. It's just what happens. The winter season and you have a few things in common. You're both fun-loving, the kids adore ya, and ya both a pain in my tail." Bunny's attempt at humour achieved its goal when a small smile made its way onto Jack's pale face. "But you are not winter. You are your own person. You know this better than anyone but, yes, winter can be harsh and unforgiving but it can also be exciting and, dare I say it, pretty extraordinary. Just because you have control over ice and snow doesn't mean it has control over you."

Jack was silent for several moments before he turned to the Pooka next to him, a genuine smile gracing a youthful face. "Who are you and what have you done with Bunny?"

The Pooka chuckled, a sarcastic remark easily rolling off his tongue, "I'm a clone sent to give philosophical advice to those in need of it."

The winter Guardian gasped dramatically, slamming his hands onto the floor either side of him. "I knew it! The real Bunny would never compliment winter."

"Hey, just because I prefer my feet unfrozen doesn't mean I don't appreciate the season." Bunny pointed out.

"OK, appreciate is better than nothing, I'll take it." Suddenly, Jack looked very seriously at Bunny. "You can't take that back now. It's official. You don't hate winter anymore."

Bunny laughed shortly, "Maybe not. Maybe it's the annoying and pestering Guardian that makes winter just about bearable."

"Aww, you do care." Jack concluded.

"I'm still deciding." The Easter Guardian countered. "But Jack, seriously, I know it's hard but try not to feel the guilt of the hiker's deaths. Carrying their ghosts around with you isn't going to make things any easier. Leave them be and move on."

The young spirit darted a glance towards the window before turning back to his companion, face filled with a little more hope than before. He nodded once, knowing that this wouldn't be the last time his season caused damage beyond his control, but as long as he had friends like Bunny, it would be the last time he would deal with the grief on his own. Lives would be lost and tears would be shed. But winter would never cease to be a wonder to all.

"I'll try"

 **Welcome to the other side…I'm so glad you made it. So! Waddya think? Thank you so much for reading. Hope you enjoyed it!**

 **I've half written the next chapter however, next week is exam week so I'll try my best to finish and post it but I can't make any promises, sorry!**

 **P.S Just a little side note, I am shockingly dreadful at chapter titles and summaries so I'm sorry if sometimes they don't always make sense. Sometimes I'm sure I spend longer on the summaries than on the actual stories XD**

 **It is now 11pm after a Pirates of the Caribbean marathon and so is my bedtime…**

 **Until next time**!


	7. Chapter 7

**:) I love writing, I just over think it so it takes me literal weeks/months to complete them, haha! This one includes GoddessOfTechnology's request from chapter 2 :)**

 **Arkinstone: That's a great idea, I have quite a few half written stories that I could incorporate t** **hat into! Thanks!**

 ** **The Music Woman 4 Life: I hope you had a great Easter this time too, haha!****

 _ **Summary:**_ _ **When Jack overworks himself one particular winter, the Guardians decide to take action.**_

Chapter 7-Strange Spaces

Only a few individuals around the world missed out on the scorching hot summer that had baked so many countries one particular year. Temperatures and morale soared as the good weather spread. Not a day went by that beaches around the world weren't covered in towels and sun hats; parasols and picnic baskets decorated the otherwise monotonous dun with splashes of summer colour.

However, like all things within nature, balance must be restored. The beaches emptied and the heat was replaced with chills. The sun very rarely made an appearance from behind grey clouds and rain battered many countries throughout Europe. Summer had left and winter had arrived. As the months grew colder, the rain turned to snow and ice. The water droplets that adorned trees froze into delicate icicles. Throughout the winter months, this deep freeze made a home over the land, refusing to budge for weeks on end.

Of course, the bringer of such weather couldn't have been having more fun. Hundreds of miles that he could keep frozen solid just so he could keep the schools closed for the children and play pranks on the adults. Though his laughter was unheard by many, it rang true to those participating in the snowball fights he so loved to start. Hours at a time were spent building snowmen and drawing frost patterns onto trees. Days were full of leaping from town to town, burying houses in layers of snow. For weeks this playful spirit spread fun and laughter across miles of landscape. However, just like summer, the fun had to end at some point.

Even though winter was far from over, Jack Frost was crashing. The energy spent creating the blizzards and snow storms combined with the non-stop activity of playing with the kids meant the winter spirit quickly tired. A few hours every couple of weeks, Jack would retire to the North Pole to see his fellow Guardians. The tedious conclusion of each meeting resulted in him finding the nearest out-of-the-way place where he would promise himself to only rest for half an hour or so before inevitably falling into a deep slumber. More than once had the other Guardians found the young spirit fast asleep in rather unconventional places.

This began when Tooth was wandering the Globe room one day and just happened to glance upwards. At the very arc of roof, balanced precariously on the wooden rafters, was a blue clad shape laying full length along the beam. Tooth being the curious fairy that she was, couldn't just fly on and pretend she hadn't seen anything. On exploring this strange shape, she found an exhausted winter teen sleeping peacefully, one arm wrapped protectively over the staff that lay across his chest while the other doubled as a pillow for the dishevelled white head. Worry that he could tumble from such a height caused her to consider waking him but she couldn't bring herself to disturb him. So she smiled fondly, placing a small hand on his shoulder, before flitting away, leaving the teen to his rest.

0o0o0

North was next to stumble across the sleeping seasonal. Finding a person curled into a corner of a darkened storage room gave the old Russian quite a scare until he realised just who it was. He stood indecisive for a moment before he wandered over to the teen.

"Jack. Wake up." The Guardian of Wonder shook the youth's shoulder gently, slightly concerned that the odd place Jack had ended up meant his welfare had been compromised and he was trying to hide away from the Guardians. "Jack! Are you alright?" He asked as pale, tired eyes stared back at him.

"What? North, I'm fine. Just fell asleep, that's all. What are you doing here?" Jack scrambled to his feet, struggling to see in the dim light. Was it this dark when he came in here? Huh.

North chuckled, "I live here."

"Like on a shelf? Or maybe in a box? Kinda claustrophobic, don't you think?" Mischief shone from the crooked grin on his face.

"And dusty." North agreed seriously.

0o0o0

Having recently invaded the Pole's kitchen and successfully cleared it of most of the eggnog, Sandy had taken to perching on a railing of one of the many balconies that decorated the magnificent building. A slight breeze added to the already chilly air as a glaring light beamed down on an endless expanse of white. Not a sound interrupted the perfect silence. That was, until after about ten minutes of calm peacefulness, when a rather loud thump coming from above him made Sandy almost spill his precious drink. After a moment of sitting absolutely still, straining his ears for any other thumps and half thinking if he best move in case something was to come tumbling off the roof and knock him off his precarious perch, he placed the cup on the railing and glanced up. Nothing was leaning over the edge to stare back at him and so he floated slowly upwards, staying hidden under the roof's eave. Spiked hair and a pair of hazel eyes peaked over the edge to discover that the source of Sandy's eggnog spilling scare was an unconscious Jack Frost. Confusion set a slight frown upon the Sand Spinner's face but he wasted no time in gliding across to the winter spirit's side. With the frost teen being the danger magnet that he was, Sandy instantly feared the worse but his confusion deepened when there appeared no sign of injury on the sleeping spirit. After a moment of thought, Sandy gently shook the teen with a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, hey, Sandy." Jack carelessly threw an arm over his eyes as the winter light momentarily blinded him. After a moment of waiting for him to move again, Sandy suspected the spirit had fallen back asleep. With a raised eyebrow he gently took hold of Jack's wrist and lifted his arm away revealing a confused and tired set of blue eyes, "You called?"

The Guardian of Dreams signed his pictures which Jack translated as " _You_ do _know you're on the roof, right? What are doing up here?_ _Are you alright?_ _"_

Jack smiled, stretched his arms out briefly before thumping one back over his face, "I'm perfectly fine, thank you very much, although I would be much better if you sent me right back to the wonderful world of sleep."

And so, with a fond roll of his eyes, Sandy tossed a sprinkle of dreamsand over the winter spirit before gliding back to his railing perch.

0o0o0

Bunny was wandering through the Globe room one day searching for a certain pesky snow Guardian he'd been told was roaming the halls. "Frostbiiiite." His usually low patience was already wearing thin and having to search for Jack on a packed full schedule wasn't helping matters.

"Jaaack, ya better not be hiding from me or I'll throw ya to the elves." He strolled around the Globe of Belief where he spotted Jack on a window seat with his face pressed up against the glass, hood pulled up over silver hair.

"Oi, kid, did you not hear me yelling for ya?" When Jack didn't respond, the Guardian of Hope frowned and hopped forward. Realisation dawned on him when he saw the winter spirit unconscious, breathing even and posture relaxed. He turned slightly, prepared to leave the kid snoozing before stopping short. A conniving smile turned him back around, after all, he had come to find Jack and lo and behold, here he was. Bunny took a seat opposite the younger Guardian and slowly reached for the blue strings of Jack's hood. The others _had_ said to find him and that apparently meant to wake him up… and Bunny was sure they wouldn't mind _how_ he woke the kid up. He'd just got a good grip on the strings and was about to give a sharp tug when a blast of ice shot towards his ears. He'd just managed to duck in time to avoid frozen ears but he'd looked back up to wide awake winter spirit.

"I certainly did hear you yelling for me, Kangaroo, you're the one that woke me up,"

0o0o0

Each sleeping Guardian of Fun discovery happened after several meetings until one day the rest of the team decided to do something about it. After the necessary ramblings of yet another mind-deadening conference, a plan was formed and the victim targeted.

White hair brushed the wooden floor between a pair of pale hands as the teenage Guardian observed the upside-down world from his spot in the armchair. Brown-clad legs swung absent-mindedly over the back of the cushions as his arms flopped to the floor by his head, occasionally tracing a frozen pattern along the floorboards. The more time past, the more the silence enveloped the room and the more bone-weary Jack grew. The muscles in his arms had long ago grown numb so they hung limp and dead like that of a puppet's. The thought of surely-someone-must-have-walked-into-the-room-by-now occasionally drifted across his mind but he couldn't fight the tiredness to be able to pull the thought back.

He must have fallen into a doze because a light voice interrupted the quiet. Jack opened his eyes with the feeling of not quite knowing where he was and that time had somehow escaped him.

"Jack?" Tooth called again. She hovered a few feet in front of him, head tilted to the side in an attempt to see him the right way up.

"Hey, Tooth, what's up?" Jack made no move to sit upright, if she was only going to ask him a question he didn't want to waste the energy and he was sure Tooth wouldn't mind.

She smiled fondly, "Apparently, not you. Sleeping upside down can't really be comfortable, can it? You know you can use one of the bedrooms here, or even at the Tooth palace, and get a proper nights sleep."

"I was not sleeping… I was resting my eyes. My spidey senses were activated." Jack smiled sleepily, not noticing her confused expression. "No, thanks. I'm good. Chairs are good too. Comfy chairs. Gotta go soon anyway, lots to do."

"Surely winter can wait for a night or two, you're going to exhaust yourself, Jack!" Tooth tried to reason with the winter spirit, instead of jumping straight to their plan.

"I'm fine! Now if you'll excuse me, I've got stuff to do." An unusual coating of ice crept into his voice as he finally swung his legs down and sat properly in the chair.

"Ok, ok. Oh! Before you go, can I show you something? It won't take long, I promise." Action was needed.

Jack stooped to pick up his staff which had been left within arms reach. He hadn't meant to sound so impatient with the fairy and so he gave Tooth a lopsided smile, "Sure."

Tooth buzzed while Jack dragged his feet across the workshop floor. The fairy tugged him further into the building of wonder, along corridors and hallways, passing yetis and piles of toys. Just as the Guardian of Fun started questioning himself whether or not he would actually make it to their destination without slumping into sleep, they ran into the ever-present glow of Sandy. After a brief exchange of conversation (or pictures, in Sandy's case), it was decided by Tooth (as Jack had no idea what was going on) that the Sand Spinner should join them on their adventure.

Eventually, they came to halt in front of a white-painted wooden door. Jack's brain had completely tuned out as Tooth chattered on about teeth and cavities. Sandy floated up and turned the rounded silver handle.

Tooth pulled Jack past a chest of drawers and a single bed tucked into the corner over to the ceiling high window at the far side of the room, "Jack, look riiight into the distance, just over there. Sandy says I'm the only one that can see it. It's like a wiggly line reaching upwards." Tooth pointed towards the horizon and Jack squinted to make out what she could possibly be talking about. "A little to the left, and a little higher up there!" Tooth had moved back slightly so she hovered at Jack's shoulder as he pressed his nose against the glass.

"You know, Tooth, we could just fly there, and you could… show me… in person..." Jack suddenly felt every muscle in his body deaden as if the tiredness he'd been holding off for weeks had decided to attack all at once. He was vaguely aware of an arm wrapped around his shoulder as the grey coloured ceiling sprang into view.

"Don't worry, Sweet Tooth, I got you."

0o0o0

Moments after Tooth and Sandy had settled a now fast asleep Jack on the small bed in the corner, they heard a quiet knock on the open door.

"Did plan work?" North's question was a harsh whisper.

"Whether it worked or not, we got a good outcome. Kid didn't suspect a thing, eh?" Bunny joined the other Guardians in the room.

"Nope, poor sweet was pretty much sleep walking by the time we got here." Tooth gazed fondly over at the dozing figure.

Bunny frowned, "I still don't know why we couldn't have just knocked him out where he was and carried him here. Would've saved ya the workshop tour, Tooth."

North answered, "Ah, but like Toothy said, lad was almost asleep when they got here, much easier for sneak attack. Good job, Sandy."

Sandy beamed and tipped the rim of a golden bowler hat.

"Ok, so we agree to activate plan sooner next time, if there is next time?" The Guardian of Wonder asked.

Bunny snorted, "Of course they'll be a next time, it's Frost we're talking about here."

0o0o0

 **U** **ntil next time!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi everyone! Can I just say that my favourite part of seeing the stats after I've posted a new chapter is watching people read the first chapter then go, "nah, not for me",** **in a Michael McIntyre voice** **then I just picture them strolling awkwardly out the door XD. But for everyone who's made it this far, thanks so much! I really really hope you like what you read!** **This chapter is just a little something I thought would be fun, a story where Jack and Sandy meet each other before the movie.**

 **Reviews**

 **Demi Clayton: Thanks! I'm definitely going to keep writing!**

 **Rosey l londe: I'm going to take that as a compliment XD**

 **sparklehannah: Don't worry about it! Thank you so so much for reviewing, you're amazing! Your comments are really uplifting and motivating, thank you!**

Summary: A what-if where the Guardian of Dreams and Fun meet years before the battle with Pitch.

Chapter 8

Every few months, the golden Guardian of Dreams would catch a glimpse of a blue, brown and white streak across the sky. A lithe figure gripping a long, wooden staff that would swoop and dive through the air, arms outstretched with snow white hair flying. For a hundred years, Sandy watched the mysterious spirit from afar, never approaching, until the blue clad spirit moved on and the gold Guardian curiously noted him many moons later.

After discovering the existence of the spirit, Sandy had often wondered if they held any particular talents or powers. Of course, some spirits possessed more power than others and Sandy pondered whether the small character was purely a helper of a more minor spirit, maybe a wood nymph or a water sprite. He came across many of such spirits along his travels, some more friendly than others, but he'd never seen this spirit interact with any other. No one ever came up to him, either colleague or friend, even for a short hello or conversation. Sandy was well aware that he only saw the spirit for a short amount of time on rare occasions but, surely, a friend of the spirit would say hello in passing, or a co-worker would stop to pass on information.

It had been a few years since Sandy's first discovery of the spirit and he'd all but forgotten about the mysterious character as he spread joy and dreams to the children of Alaska. The temperature was bitingly cold as the sharp wind grew stronger. Delicate flakes tried to drift down from above but were instead thrashed to and fro in the violent winds. The light seemed to fade as grey clouds settled themselves in front of the sun. A blizzard was brewing.

Just as Sandy decided his job in Alaska was done, something caught his eye. Not too far away, a familiar figure floated midair, crooked staff held aloft. After observing for several minutes, realisation of just who the strange spirit was dawned on him. Icy power emanated from his frame as each feature of the freezing weather followed his instructions. This spirit was definitely no minion of a wood nymph or a water sprite, but one of an entire season. He was the Spirit of Winter.

Against his better judgment, Sandy drifted towards the shelter of some trees and decided to watch the show. He wondered how such a seemingly uncontrollable phenomenon could be directed so effortlessly. Each and every aspect was managed to perfection. Just as not one snow flake fell without reason, no howl of the gale blew without a cause.

The figure directing the storm had no knowledge he was being watched with such astonishment. Everything but the storm around him was insignificant as he concentrated to ensure every detail was faultless. Winter power flowed through his limbs, focussed through the ancient Shepard's crook he held in his right hand. Time seemed to disappear as the storm grew in intensity. Eventually, however, it pushed away into surrounding towns, losing energy as it became less concentrated. When the storm was no more than a gentle snowfall, the Spirit of Winter slowly floated down to the white blanketed ground below, landing unknowingly only a few hundred yards away from the Guardian of Dreams.

With his mind made up, Sandy glided through the trees towards the white haired sprite, intent of learning more about this lonely character. As he got closer, the golden Guardian took note of the blue hoodie the spirit wore, along with the tattered brown trousers and bare feet. The fabric of the hood covered what Sandy knew to be stark white hair, however, with the spirit's back currently towards him, Sandy had no inclination as to what the Winter Spirit actually looked like. One hand was hidden deep within the confines of a pocket whilst the other carelessly flipped the conduit between his fingers. Having no intention of scaring the spirit, Sandy kept his distance and hoped he wouldn't spook the sprite as he slowly circled around him.

Unfortunately, the winter sprite still jolted in alarm as Sandy appeared in his peripheral vision. The Guardian of Dreams hastily raised his hands in surrender as the spirit stepped backwards, bare feet sinking into the snow. Sandy remained still, waiting patiently for the startled spirit to decide whether or not to trust this new arrival. In the few seconds that went by, Sandy got to study up close the face he'd only seen from miles away. Astonishingly blue eyes stood out from the pale face as it peered untrustingly out from under the hood. Sandy felt the shock of realisation as the spirit's youth became apparent. Of course, the slight frame may suggest a younger adult but he had never thought the spirit to be a mere teenager, 17 at most. Sandy's slightly startled face must have convinced the teen that he was in no immediate danger for he asked in a voice that sounded not as brave as he'd hoped, "What do you want?"

The ancient Guardian smiled kindly, lowering his hands slowly as the Winter Spirit watched every move, still very much wary of the stranger. Sandy signed out his answer as pictures appeared above his head. As he was well aware many people struggled to understand his way of communication, he tried to make the pictures as easy as possible to understand, _'I watched the blizzard and decided I had to meet the spirit who made it'._

"You… don't talk?" The curious tone showed in his voice even though his defensive stance never wavered. "What's your name?"

Pictures appeared in the air of a child in bed as miniature golden tendrils danced around their head, changing into shapes of animals and playtime.

"Wait, you're the Sandman? You're the Guardian of Dreams, right?" The protective stance was unconsciously relaxed as curiosity morphed into awe. "Um, I'm Jack. Jack Frost. I'm the Spirit of Winter, or, at least, I think I am…"

Sandy beamed brightly and answered with a simple wave. When a question occurred to him he was quick to sign it out, unsure whether Jack trusted him enough yet to stay around.

"How long have I been around?" Sandy nodded eagerly as the winter spirit asked as confirmation. "Well, not too long, really, about 100 years. It didn't take me too long to figure out what my job was since it snowed everywhere I went." Jack grinned despite himself when Sandy chuckled silently. "So how long have you been giving kids dreams?"

The ancient Guardian studied an imaginary watch with a look of deep concentration on his face, before signing out what Jack translated as, "About 5 hours."

After a moment of confusion, genuine childish laughter rang through the woods as the Winter sprite realised the literal route the Sandman had taken to the question. "Well let me be the first to welcome you to planet Earth then! A bit chilly at the moment but I promise it warms up when I'm not around."

Sandy waved a hand in dismissal before fashioning an oversized sun hat from Dreamsand which he fit snuggly over his spiked hair.

The gold Guardian followed with a sand image of Jack himself then joining him with 4 more miniature Jacks, each with a tiny snowflake floating from their sand staff. _"Are there more winter spirits?"_

He was pleasantly surprised when Jack understood the question straight away, the youth shrugging a dismissive shoulder. "Nah, not that I know of. It's quite a lonely job, I guess. People just don't appreciate the hard work and magic that goes into every single snowflake." Jack pressed the back of his hand to his forehead in a dramatic rendition of sorrow. "So you do this every night? Spreading this dream sand stuff? But it's always night somewhere, does that mean you work all time? Just circling the world?" Jack fired questions at Sandy who received them with a fond smile and a simple nod. "That must be a pretty lonely job too. Hey, how about we be lonely together? I'm not doing much now, mind if I join you on tonight's world tour? I'm warning you though, if you say no, I'll just follow you anyway." Jack asked hopefully. Boredom would strike soon now that he'd finished winter spreading in the area and who knows, maybe he would find a friend in the small sand spinner.

Sandy bounced on his toes, clapping silent hands. Something about the younger spirit intrigued him and Sandy knew how too long exploring one's own thoughts could get dangerous. The longevity of a spirit's life was both a blessing and a curse with many falling into the darkness. If finding a friend could keep this child's spirit alive, what was the harm?

0o0o0o

Once every 50 years or so, two coloured streaks would race each other across the night sky. One of the colour blue and one of gold. The blue accompanied by a not-unpleasant chill and with the gold came calmness and dreams. Too busy with their duties was each colour to race and play more than once in a human's lifetime but that was enough to keep hope and wonder alive. Loneliness and uncertainty would burden the blue over the many years to come however but, unknowingly to him, gold would always be there to bring peace and safety. Years later, the gold would regret not trying harder to see the young blue but the blue was forever grateful to the Man in the Moon for giving him such an amazing friend.

0o0o0

 **Until next time!**


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